Steam has to be ran as administrator for DX12 to work for me in AOTS Escalation.

I don't know what this referral thing is about, but if people are referring me to google when they know the solution then that's pretty sad, I had obviously tried many different things to try and resolve this myself before posting for help and this is a fairly bizarre problem considering other games work fine in DX12 mode without running steam as admin (including AOTS).

I am encountering the same problem. (I am happy to see that I'm not alone to launch games without admin rights!)

It is exactly the same description. I can see the launcher but the game won't starts.

But how can you launch the game with DirectX 11? I can't launch the game to change this option!

Maybe someone know how to add dependencies manually for launch the game with DirectX 12?

When you open the Ashes launcher, click "Settings" instead of "Play". That will open a text document and under API you can change it to "DX11" or "DX12". This allows you to change all your settings without having to launch the game.

Sorry, but because I've never launched the game (it is a fresh Windows 10 installation), I was unable to open the configuration file (it was non-existent).

I've found the solution!!!! I'm so happy, I can play to one of my favourite games without installation needed.

Only the XAPOFX1_5.dll file is missing. To have it: install Ashes of the Singularity via Steam as administrator on a non-trusted computer or on a virtual machine. This will add in system files requiered DLLs for launch the game.

Go on %WinDir%\System32 and take the XAPOFX1_5.dll file.

Copy it in the AOTS folder (something like yourPath\Steam\steamapps\common\Ashes of the Singularity Escalation) of your trusted computer where you don't want to give administrator permissions.

Check you audio drivers and update them if needed or even do a clean reinstall. If you have Nvidia card then also reinstall the Nvidia audio drivers for that (do a clean install = uninstall and reinstall).

If you use AMD card then you'd more likely get better performance using Vulkan than DX12.

I've reinstalled the game but it made no changes. I keep trying to find a solution.

I will try to take a DLL XAPOFX1_5.dll of a Windows 10 version 1709 system, maybe it have changed since Windows 10 version 1607.

I've found that the problem may be caused by this DLL. Indeed, Ashes of the Singularity is using XAPOFX library but it have a very poor documentation especially concerning DLL files used in release mode. I don't know if this library is maintained with new Windows 10 versions. If it is, this can explain that XAPOFX1_5.dll for Windows 10 1607 isn't compatible with Windows 10 1709.

I'm also trying to find if theses libraries are using other DLL but it is difficult to know without debug mode.

I've tried to add in the AOTS folder all x64 DLL available of CAT files of the _CommonRedist\directx folder, without success (still no sound). (I have not overwriten already-existing DLL in AOTS folder.)

I've tried to install Visual Studio x64 packages (as admin) but without success. They seems to be useless on Windows 10. So I've uninstalled it.

Finally and resigned, I've installed DirectX dependencies (as admin) and sound works. That is not the solution, I know, but it shows that DirectX dependencies are needed to have sound (on Windows 10, I don't know for older Windows versions). But how configure it manually?

I always talk about XAPOFX but I've not explained why. (I'm talking about when you have NOT installed DirectX dependencies, of course!) In fact, AOTS audio needs XAPOFX library. XAPOFX1_5.dll is not included in the AOTS folder, unlike XAudio2_7.dll. If you don't have it, AOTS doesn't launch at all. But if you try to add XAPOFX1_5.dll (for x64) manually in AOTS folder, AOTS can be launched but you don't have sound. I haven't found why.

If someone knows what does exactly the DirectX installer, or XAPOFX library or a Windows installer, I'm really interested. I was thinking that DXSETUP (June 2010, provided with AOTS) only add DLLs files in Windows System32 folder. Maybe it is interresting to audit system changes during DirectX installation, but I don't know how do it.